Editorial: One storm down; what will follow?

Published: Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 05:32 PM.

To use a cliche, it could have been worse — much worse. Hurricane Arthur spared Onslow County as its eye mercifully stayed just offshore as it passed through the area just a week ago. Its rapid departure meant a quicker return to business as usual on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year.

The storm left fewer people without power than during some typical summer thunderstorms. Statewide, Duke Energy reported fewer than 100,000 customers without power at any time during the storm, and many of those were near the area where Arthur made landfall late on the night of July 3. Power was restored for most residents by Friday.

Damage on the whole was limited, although the roaring ocean undermined N.C. 12 on the Outer Banks and power was out in many places, especially Morehead City, not far from where the hurricane came ashore. Some oceanfront businesses, especially on the northern Outer Banks, reported damage. Many shops, restaurants and hotels on the Outer Banks were open for business as usual the next day. Annual Fourth of July festivities went on as usual and local beaches were bustling the day after Arthur passed.

Arthur’s impact up and down the state coastline appears to have been limited. Observers have been optimistic that the storm had little, if any, economic effect. In some areas tourists evacuated and then returned as soon as the bridges to barrier islands were reopened; but other vacationers planning a Fourth of July stay canceled reservations ahead of the storm. We probably should wait a bit longer to find out whether the storm adversely affected our tourism industry’s bottom line.

Arthur also reminded us that a hurricane’s strength can change rapidly. As the storm got closer, predictions were for a stronger hurricane than originally predicted, with sustained winds of 100 mph. Fortunately, when the hurricane made landfall, it did so at Shackelford Banks, whose main inhabitants are the wild horses that have survived numerous storms. The eye and the strongest winds remained well offshore elsewhere.

Preparation for Arthur was mostly low-key, in part because the forecast called for a weak storm with the highest winds out to sea. But it gave residents the chance to check their battery supplies and to stock up on staples that are needed to survive a hurricane. A stronger storm, however, would require much more vigilance.

And the hurricane season is still young — the most active months of August, September and October are still ahead. As much as most coastal residents hope Arthur was the first and last experience the North Carolina coast has with a tropical system this year, we know there is no guarantee.

To use a cliche, it could have been worse — much worse. Hurricane Arthur spared Onslow County as its eye mercifully stayed just offshore as it passed through the area just a week ago. Its rapid departure meant a quicker return to business as usual on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year.

The storm left fewer people without power than during some typical summer thunderstorms. Statewide, Duke Energy reported fewer than 100,000 customers without power at any time during the storm, and many of those were near the area where Arthur made landfall late on the night of July 3. Power was restored for most residents by Friday.

Damage on the whole was limited, although the roaring ocean undermined N.C. 12 on the Outer Banks and power was out in many places, especially Morehead City, not far from where the hurricane came ashore. Some oceanfront businesses, especially on the northern Outer Banks, reported damage. Many shops, restaurants and hotels on the Outer Banks were open for business as usual the next day. Annual Fourth of July festivities went on as usual and local beaches were bustling the day after Arthur passed.

Arthur’s impact up and down the state coastline appears to have been limited. Observers have been optimistic that the storm had little, if any, economic effect. In some areas tourists evacuated and then returned as soon as the bridges to barrier islands were reopened; but other vacationers planning a Fourth of July stay canceled reservations ahead of the storm. We probably should wait a bit longer to find out whether the storm adversely affected our tourism industry’s bottom line.

Arthur also reminded us that a hurricane’s strength can change rapidly. As the storm got closer, predictions were for a stronger hurricane than originally predicted, with sustained winds of 100 mph. Fortunately, when the hurricane made landfall, it did so at Shackelford Banks, whose main inhabitants are the wild horses that have survived numerous storms. The eye and the strongest winds remained well offshore elsewhere.

Preparation for Arthur was mostly low-key, in part because the forecast called for a weak storm with the highest winds out to sea. But it gave residents the chance to check their battery supplies and to stock up on staples that are needed to survive a hurricane. A stronger storm, however, would require much more vigilance.

And the hurricane season is still young — the most active months of August, September and October are still ahead. As much as most coastal residents hope Arthur was the first and last experience the North Carolina coast has with a tropical system this year, we know there is no guarantee.

A version of this editorial first appeared in the Wilmington Star-News, a Halifax Media Group newspaper.